Image: Belongil Sundown / Channel 9/The Block
Interior designer and The Block judge Darren Palmer just gave fans and design lovers a front-row seat to his newly revived holiday house in Byron Bay’s Belongil Beach – and it’s every bit as vibrant as you’d hope. In a video tour shared on his Instagram, Darren walked viewers through ‘Belongil Sundown’ room by room, chatting about the renovation and the joy of a beachside retreat that’s gone from “fine” to downright fun.
“This view, this is the reason we bought the house,” he said, showing the home’s soothing waterfront outlook onto Belongil Creek. “It’s in a really brilliant position in Byron Bay.”
The TV favourite and his husband Olivier Duvillard took on the three-bedroom, two-bathroom shack just 100 metres from Belongil Beach, a location they fell for before the makeover even began. “We just spent a few months reviving our beautiful little beach shack in Byron’s Belongil Beach,” he explained. “It was a little bit out of date, but it was in a great location.”
And what a transformation it is. Each room is now “colourful, stripy, cool” with practical upgrades such as new Meir x Darren Palmer Lustre Bronze tapware and built-in storage. “It’s spectacular, it’s absolutely beautiful,” Darren said, sharing the new dining zone and bright bedroom hues.
This home showcases a more cheeky design side than we’ve seen from The Block judge’s properties in recent years. A former 1930s California bungalow he bought in Bondi Beach for $2.98m in 2015 was renovated with sandy tones and soft neutrals. After appearing in Home Beautiful, the refreshed property was sold for around $8.25m in July 2025.
The couple also previously owned another retreat in the Byron Bay area’s Suffolk Park. It sold in December 2024 for about $2.6 million to Candice Rose O’Rourke (founder of the Zulu & Zephyr lifestyle brand) and her husband, Josh O’Rourke.
Yet Darren’s always been an outspoken supporter of The Block contestants with boundary-pushing ideas. He advocated for Courtney and Grant in the 2024 season when the duo controversially revealed a striped shower design. “It’s definitely my favourite [house] of this season,” Darren declared.
It seems he’s finally had a chance to unleash a punchy look of his own – and it’s 10 out of 10 if you ask us. Belongil Sundown is now open for stays, so we’ll all have a chance to experience Darren’s house reveal for ourselves. Do you think Shaynna Blaze and Marty Fox will be checking in?
To book a holiday here, visit Fuller Holidays.
